3 comments on “Participate”

Greg

I think that’s great that bike projects have been started in Sparks more recently. Previously Sparks has always been very poor in bike accommodation, with the one exception of Oddie east of Sullivan. Sparks has so many car-only designed roads, with very little or no shoulder. The city is in dire need of as many bike projects as possible.

It is my opinion that the fundamental approach of establishing bike and pedestrian paths could use reexamining. I say that primarily because of the way the two are combined. They are in frequent conflict. I know there are many avid bicyclists who do not take separated bike paths seriously, and whom exclusively avoid them in favor of motor vehicle roads. Dual use bike/pedestrian paths are riskier to drive a bike on than the roads, for the simple reason that many pedestrians (and even careless cyclists) are a big hazard. For such dual use paths to work, pedestrians must understand/respect that it is a road of a sort, with vehicles traveling at large speed differentials to pedestrians (albeit non-motorized vehicles), and pedestrians must stay at one side of the path. It is common to see pedestrians walking erratically from side to side in the very center of the path, and children and unleashed dogs darting unpredictably along and across the path where bike paths cross through city parks. Bike paths have painted dotted stripes, sign postings, and other characteristics of roads. This situation is intolerable for anything that’s made to function in a similar manner to a road. I believe I’ve seen certain bike paths with a policy of “bikes yield to pedestrians”. If applicable, to have the right of way handed solely to pedestrians is the same as designating it a sidewalk, and I doubt many serious cyclists would regard using such a path to get anywhere as practical. On the other hand, separated paths such as the Truckee River path, at times when the pedestrian congestion isn’t too heavy, can be great for cruising continuously at speed for miles. Rather like a bike freeway.

As I see it, there’s two sensible solutions: 1. Pedestrians would need to be made to understand the need to share the path responsibly with cyclists, through sign postings, or enforced rules, for example. OR: 2. Keep pedestrian and bike paths separate, such as a sidewalk and a bike lane in the road. (Although I have seen pedestrians misuse bike lanes before.) Pedestrians, in general, are not accustomed to being aware of their surroundings or of following the rules of the road, unlike those who drive vehicles on a road (the two are not always mutually exclusive). For this reason, avid bicyclists and motor vehicles are much more comparable with each other than bicyclists and pedestrians. Also, the speeds are much more comparable between cyclists and cars than cyclists and pedestrians. As much as I would like a separate path, it makes more sense to me to combine cyclists and motor vehicles on roads than cyclists and pedestrians on separate paths.

Greg

I had a few more comments for the Reno/Sparks map in addition to what I put on the map in July:

1. N. Virginia St. where it turns west before intersecting Hwy. 395 (Panther Valley) is very dangerous, being narrow and curvy at the same time as steep, in particular between there and half way to Golden Valley Rd. This area was reconstructed 2-3 years ago but could still certainly use a bike lane. The rest of N. Virginia, on up through Stead, is dangerous with inadequate shoulder.

2. Going north on McCarran Blvd. between Summit Ridge Dr. and I-80 is very dangerous. The lane/shoulder suddenly disappears and you find yourself stuck between the right car lane and the I-80 entrance lane that appears to the right. You’ve then got heavy traffic on both your left and right, with not even a narrow bike lane in between! Chances of getting across the heavy traffic on the I-80 entrance lane to get to the right of it are not good, and there’s still no shoulder.

3. The Lemmon Valley Dr. path is in poor condition, with large cracks every several feet. While the road itself has only a narrow shoulder.

Greg

The 2010 Truckee Meadows Bike Map could use these additions/corrections:

- The path shown between Valley Rd. and Wells Ave. next to I-80 actually goes another 100-200 ft. on the east side of Wells into the neighborhood, connecting at 8th St. and Morrill Ave. It’s therefore not necessary to deal with the traffic on Wells (besides crossing it) just to go east/west on 9th St. from/to downtown.

- The path shown through Idlewild Park and along Idlewild Dr. doesn’t allow bike traffic on it according to the signs, so it shouldn’t be shown on the bike map.

- The map has shown in past versions, but for some reason omits, the bike lanes on Summit Ridge Dr. and Sky Valley Dr./Sky Mountain Dr., and the path along Lemmon Valley Dr. (though this is in poor condition).

Victorian Ave. Cycle Track:

This is nice how this is done in general, with separate bike and walking lanes. However the major drawback is that cars are potentially sticking out and blocking it at every crossroad. This is caused by the lane being recessed back from the edge of the car road, making cars stop to turn at the edge of Victorian, and obstruct the bike and/or pedestrian lanes. This is in contrast to the usual type of bike lane, which sits at the edge of the car road itself, and doesn’t encourage vehicles waiting to turn to block it.